title: Taxol-mediated augmentation of CD95 ligand-induced apoptosis of human malignant glioma cells: association with bcl-2 phosphorylation but neither activation of p53 nor G2/M cell cycle arrest.
abstract: The anti-tumour alkaloid taxol shows strong cytotoxic and antiproliferative activity in two human malignant glioma cell lines, T98G and LN-229. CD95 (Fas/APO-1) ligand is a novel cytotoxic cytokine of the tumour necrosis factor (TNF) family that exerts prominent antiglioma activity. At clinically relevant taxol concentrations of 5-100 nM, taxol and CD95 ligand showed significant synergistic cytotoxicity and growth inhibition. High concentrations of taxol induced G/M cell cycle arrest in both cell lines. The synergy of taxol and CD95 ligand was independent of cell cycle effects of taxol as synergy was achieved at much lower taxol concentrations than G2/M arrest and as cell cycle effects of taxol were unaffected by co-exposure to CD95 ligand. Similarly, high concentrations of taxol were required to induce p53 activity in the p53 wild-type cell line LN-229. This effect was not modulated by CD95 ligand, suggesting that synergy is also independent of p53 activation. However, taxol induced a mobility shift of the bcl-2 protein on immunoblot analysis, indicative of bcl-2 phosphorylation. Bcl-2 phosphorylation on serine was confirmed by immunoprecipitation and phosphoserine immunoblot analysis. Considering (1) that phosphorylation of bcl-2 interferes with its heterodimerization with bax and (2) the inhibition of CD95-mediated apoptosis by bcl-2, we propose that taxol sensitizes malignant glioma cells to CD95 ligand by increasing the functional bax/bcl-2 rheostat in favour of bax and thus cell death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Tübingen, School of Medicine, Germany.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wagenknecht
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grimmel
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dichgans
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weller
mesh_terms: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D004357:Drug Synergism; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein; D016195:G2 Phase / Q000187:drug effects; D005910:Glioma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008938:Mitosis / Q000187:drug effects; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000502:physiology*; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; C505661:FASLG protein, human; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D019014:fas Receptor; D017239:Paclitaxel